Chapter 63

"Okay, you guys go quickly." Zhong Ming replied and took An An from Zhang Weilan. An An was already a little sleepy, and lay obediently in his grandfather's arms, ready to sleep.

Zhang Weilan and Pei Ze were indeed mother and son, both of them were meticulous and arranged everything in just two sentences. He picked up Zhong Miao, while Zhang Weilan had already picked up the IV bottle and hurried to the toilet.

"Don't worry, it's not that urgent." Zhong Miao put one arm around Pei Ze's neck and placed the other hand with a needle hanging on it flat on her stomach. She slept soundly and had a little more strength, and her mind was much clearer.

After this trip was over and the medicine was taken, the doctor said it was nothing serious, just fatigue, and it was my period. I would rest for two days and take some antipyretics and I would be fine, whether I stayed in the hospital or not.

Zhong Miao didn't want to be hospitalized. The hospital was definitely not as good as home. Besides, Pei Ze and his father were busy, and his mother-in-law had to take care of An An, so how could they have time to stay by his bedside?

Zhang Weilan also felt that it would be better to go home, where she could have a proper meal and have a good rest.

After a few discussions, they hit it off. Pei Ze held his wife, Zhong Ming held An An, and the whole family rushed home from the hospital.

Zhong Miao fell asleep again as soon as she got home. Fortunately, her body temperature had dropped a little and it was not so scary anymore.

Zhong Ming stayed with Zhong Miao for more than an hour. Only after Zhong Miao's fever subsided did he go back to rest after being persuaded by his in-laws and son-in-law. However, he did not return to the garment factory. He slept directly in the next room so that he could help if anything happened.

An An had fallen asleep on the sofa. Zhang Weilan and Pei Ze asked about their daughter-in-law's situation.

"What has Miaomiao done recently? How could she be so sick?"

Pei Ze recalled Zhong Miao's recent situation and told her everything.

He has been going out early and coming back late recently, and he always misses mealtimes. Zhong Miao doesn't let him cook anymore, and he always goes out to eat. He is not sure what they eat specifically.

When he went out in the morning, she was still asleep. When he came back in the evening, she was already back. It was rare for her to be later than him.

She has been painting recently, which is not an easy job. Besides, there is no one to watch her eat, so she may not get enough nutrition.

Zhang Weilan discovered the marks on her daughter-in-law's body when she was serving her.

"Second brother, did you bother my daughter-in-law last night?"

Pei Ze couldn't refute it. He wanted to stick with his wife every day.

"You little calf, why don't you take it easy? You can't eat or sleep well, and you still have to study during the day. Look at how miserable this child must be when he's this sick."

"Got it. I'll pay attention next time."

After more than an hour, Zhong Miao was fine and her temperature had almost dropped. Zhang Weilan then carried An An to another room to rest.

Zhong Miao was awakened by the aroma of food. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Pei Ze sitting beside the bed.

"What time is it?" Her voice was still a little hoarse.

"It's only a little after seven, do you still want to sleep?"

Pei Ze reached out and touched her forehead, and the fever was almost gone.

"I'm not going to sleep anymore. Is grandma cooking?"

"Well, Dad will be here later. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, but I have no strength and my stomach hurts."

Zhong Miao didn't expect that she would be so seriously ill. She hadn't painted for such a long time and had been a little tired recently. She had thought that she could slowly adapt to it, but she didn't expect that she would get sick under the high-intensity work.

It's been hot recently, and she's been craving for coolness, eating popsicles and drinking cold soda. The high fever and dysmenorrhea together are simply unbearable.

"Lie down for a while and get up later for dinner."

"I can't lie down anymore. My bones are stiff. Get up and move around. Go find me some clothes to change into."

This is the bad thing about being sick. She was covered in cold sweat and her clothes were sticking to her body, feeling very uncomfortable.

After changing clothes and washing up, Zhong Miao leaned on the sofa and watched TV in a daze, without any strength in her body.

"You should go to work. Grandma is here. I have no problem."

It's a busy time recently, and Pei Ze can't stay at home all the time and delay things.

"It's okay. Erwa and the others are watching over the factory. I can just go to the store this afternoon."

Pei Ze stayed around his wife for most of the day. In the afternoon, Zhong Miao thought he was too clingy and sent him back to the store.

My mother-in-law is very good at taking care of people. Zhong Miao didn't suffer much during the past two days of recuperation. With An An, the happy person, by her side, she was in a good mood.

"Grandma, you've worked hard these past two days. I'm almost done, so you should take a rest."

Zhang Weilan is a person who can't sit still. In addition to taking care of her daughter-in-law, she also keeps these small rooms clean.

"It's okay, Mom's almost done."

The daughter-in-law had already spoken. She stopped wiping the table and sat on the sofa next to Zhong Miao. "Miao Miao, Mom has made up her mind. I'll stay with you in the city for a while."

"Mother-in-law."

"Miaomiao, the second brother and the in-laws are busy, and you're also busy with school. You haven't even eaten on time, and now you're sick. How can you be without someone to take care of you at home?"

Zhong Miao knew that her mother-in-law didn't want to leave the village. "Grandma, don't worry too much. Everything will be fine once they're done with this busy period. I'll also adapt. I can't let you take care of me all the time. How can that be possible?"

"Don't worry, Mom won't let herself get hurt. If I can't stay here any longer, I'll go back to the village and stay for a few days. An An will be going to school soon, and you guys won't be able to handle it by then."

When Zhong Miao fell ill this time, Zhang Weilan changed her mind. The house is dead, but people are alive. She can't just ignore her son and daughter-in-law just to protect the house.

She used to think that the children just moved to a new place and that they were old enough to take care of themselves. But in the past two days, she realized how busy they were and that her daughter-in-law even fell ill from exhaustion.

Only when my son has a good career can our family be better. We have to be busy. My daughter-in-law is in college, so she has to study hard to live up to her talent. An An will also start school in a while, and then the couple will have to take care of another child. Can their bodies handle it?

Besides, their life is too rough. They don't eat on time and no one helps to wash clothes. They just throw everything into the washing machine. How can it be washed clean? As for hand washing, well, her son can do it with his hands, but her daughter-in-law's hands are not good for work, so she can't bear to let her do it.

She is not a wicked mother-in-law who lets her daughter-in-law do everything. If her son has no time, her daughter-in-law will be busy too. The couple's life has just started when her daughter-in-law falls ill. She can't stay in the village anymore and has to help out in some way.

She only has one son left, Pei Ze. If he doesn't come to help her at this time, she won't be able to bear it.

"Well, mother-in-law, then you can stay here. It's not like the village where you have to do everything yourself. If you don't feel like cooking, I'll buy you something delicious. Don't get too tired. Your health is important."

My mother-in-law is old, and she definitely can't be too tired, but the old lady is a capable person in the village, and you can't stop her from working. Zhong Miao just hopes that she can make appropriate adjustments and not get too tired.

When she was in the village, her mother-in-law cooked and didn't let her wash clothes. When her mother-in-law did heavy work, Zhong Miao would go to help. She could clean her own room, and occasionally when Pei Ze came back, she would send him to clean it.

But it’s different in the city. They all go out during the day, leaving all the housework to my mother-in-law alone.

Zhong Miao usually just cleans up by herself, but her mother-in-law definitely won't let them do it alone. In the future, she will have the additional job of picking up and dropping off her grandson. It's conceivable that it will be more tiring than when she was in the village before.

"Okay, Mom will buy some delicious food when you're better. Don't worry, Mom knows what to do."

These days, Pei Ze and Zhong Ming go out early and come back late. Zhong Ming is okay because he lives close to home and can walk home for lunch in a few minutes. But as for Pei Ze, he is nowhere to be seen until it gets dark, and the money he takes home is even more urgent.

Zhong Miao has been resting at home these days and has developed a new hobby of counting money.

Her family background is there, and even though she didn't study finance, she has a clear understanding of money. She knows clearly what this money means.

This money represents that Pei Ze has completely crossed the class barrier through his own efforts. In this era full of opportunities, it won't be long before their family will be far beyond the middle class and stand at the top.

Her father has started taking orders recently. Clothing factories and furniture factories use a marketing strategy and they can get started before winter.

She knew that her father worked so hard mainly for her. Pei Ze's career was getting better and better. Her father was afraid that this son-in-law would become arrogant and change, so he worked under pressure just to be a solid backing for her family.

Otherwise, her father could have taken an easy odd job to save some investment capital, and then wait until the 1990s when the stock exchange opened, and then he could start investing. How easy that would have been.

Both father and daughter are so realistic.

Zhong Miao hasn't come to school for a few days. Li Qiumo feels that something is wrong and his mind is even more confused. Creation is lonely, and it feels a lot easier to be alone with like-minded people.

He couldn't help but feel a little resentful. This girl disappeared without telling him, which really made him a little worried.

He took out the phone book from the drawer and found Zhong Miao's contact information, including the village's phone number, the furniture factory's phone number, and the garment factory's phone number.

He remembered that Zhong Miao had told him that if he wanted to find her, he should call the garment factory, so he dialed the number directly.

Zhong Miao was telling a story to An An when Li Qiumo came over.

Zhang Weilan thought it was Zhong Ming who came back. When she opened the door, she saw a young man she didn't recognize. He was dressed very unusually, with long hair and glasses, and looked like an intellectual. She had a pair of sharp eyes. This young man was much more relaxed than the average intellectual. His temperament was rare.

"Young man, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Zhong Miao's teacher. I heard she was sick, so I came to see her."

Li Qiumo couldn't even paint, and he felt like there were bugs on his body. He couldn't concentrate on reading. When he heard that Zhong Miao was sick, he thought of going to see her and getting some exercise.

"Hey, teacher, please come in. You're here, why are you bringing all these things?"

Zhang Weilan said politely, this young teacher looks good.

"It's my first time here, so how can I come empty-handed? Besides, Zhong Miao is the top student in our school and a key training target."

Li Qiumo had long developed the ability to say what he wanted to say to different people. In front of the elderly, he couldn't show his usual pretentious temperament, and he had to be low-key when it was time to be tactful and humble.

You can pretend, but you must do it like your peers like Li Sanshan, and talk about so-and-so foreign philosophers. That's the cool type.

At most, he would let off some steam with his students and brag a little, but of course, he had the capital to brag.

After entering the house, Zhong Miao was a little surprised to see him coming. He greeted him and quickly invited this important master to take a seat.

"Mom, is this an uncle or an aunt?" An An looked up from his grid-lined notebook and looked at Li Qiumo curiously. In his impression, people with long hair should be aunts, but this one was obviously not a woman, which stumped the child.

Zhong Miao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After thinking about how An An should address Li Qiumo, he explained, "An An, this is my teacher. You should just call him Uncle Li."

"Hello, Uncle Li."

The word "uncle" really confused Li Qiumo.

"You, how old are you? Child, you're already this big?" Li Qiumo's eyes were full of disbelief.

Zhang Weilan put away the things Li Qiumo brought. She made tea and brought over snacks when she heard Li Qiumo ask this.

"Teacher Xiao Li, An An's background is special. She is my eldest son's child. It's hard for our Miao Miao. She has to become a mother as soon as she marries into us."

Li Qiumo understood immediately after hearing this. He sensibly did not ask any further questions. "An An, right? Come on, tell your uncle, what is your full name?"

"Pei Mingan."

Li Qiumo played with An An for a while. An An was quiet and sensible, yet also a bit naturally ignorant. He and this child actually got along quite well, which was very rare.

When the time came, Zhang Weilan took An An to the next room for a nap, leaving space for the teacher and student to communicate.

"You are so lucky. You got a son for free." Li Qiumo was a little envious.

"You're already in your thirties. If you like someone, get married and have a baby."

"What you said is just like what my mother said. If you had found the right person, wouldn't you have gotten married long ago? No one is as lucky as you, getting married at such a young age. Your mother-in-law treats you very well."

Li Qiumo also wants to get married, but this is just a coincidence.

"Of course, my mother-in-law is the best."

"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"I didn't want to rest for so many days at first, so I didn't tell you. But my family asked me to rest for two more days, so I will go in two days."

"Okay, remember to tell me next time. When Hu Xu saw me, he asked why you didn't come. I didn't know either."

"Well, are you upset again? Can't you continue working?"

"Yes, your mind is full of confusion. I came here to see you and just took a stroll."

Away from the creative environment, Li Qiumo became more talkative. "Tell me, what do you think of my painting?"

"A masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages." Zhong Miao praised it generously.

"Pfft, you're such a liar. I'm having a hard time myself. I won't flatter you like that."

Li Qiumo had never asked Zhong Miao this question before, mainly because Zhong Miao was immersed in his own creation and he didn't want to interrupt.

"I'm not flattering you. You have to solve your own problems by yourself. Once you figure it out, it will be a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages."

It cost more than 200 million yuan, so it is no exaggeration to say that it is a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages.

"I didn't expect you to think so highly of me as a teacher."

You are a master-level figure, a teacher's teacher. How could Zhong Miao dare to give you a bad review? Giving him a bad review is equivalent to denying yourself.

"That's a must."

"I'm a little more confident. Our number one scholar has spoken with such confidence that it will definitely work."

"Yeah, keep your mouth open. Only when you have rested well can you have the energy to paint."

Zhong Miao grabbed a handful of melon seeds for him and pushed the snacks next to him.

"Haha, then I won't be polite."

-

The next day, Pei Ze took his old mother, daughter-in-law and son to his own factory. His daughter-in-law had recovered from her illness and took them to visit his factory, and then went to the factory bathhouse to give An An a bath.

An An is already five years old. It is true that grown-up sons avoid their mothers. Fortunately, there is a public bathhouse near home. My son is too old to enter the women's bathhouse. From now on, An An has to be taken there by his father to take a bath. Today, he happened to be at the factory, so he took a bath here.

In the bathtub, the walls are all cement walls, which are simply waterproofed. A row of shower heads are installed on the wall and connected to the hot water heated in the boiler room.

An An stood on the bench, following his father's commands and movements.

"Raise your arms." An An raised her hands as soon as Pei Ze gave the order.

Pei Ze took the bath towel and rubbed the child, "Okay, lift this one."

"Dad, please be gentle. Why are you so heavy-handed?"

"Okay, okay, be gentle, can you rub it clean?"

Pei Ze complained, but he softened the pressure with his hands.

"Dad, do I have to take a shower here from now on?" The walls were all pitch black, and An An was not used to it.

"Not necessarily. You can just take a shower at home. I'll give you a massage once a week. If it's convenient, we'll come here. If it's not convenient, we can go to a bathhouse near home."

"Okay, for the sake of being able to ride in a car."

"Haha, you are such a cunning kid."

"Dad, Uncle Li came yesterday, what were you going to do?"

Pei Ze was confused by An An's words, "Are you talking about Teacher Li who came yesterday? Explain yourself clearly, I don't understand what you mean. Sit down and rub your legs." Pei Ze patted An An's right leg like a dedicated bath scrubber.

An An sat down, gesturing with his hands, but he couldn't stop talking, saying all kinds of things to his father.

As Pei Ze listened, his three views were shattered.

It turned out that Zhong Miao and her mother-in-law had been watching TV at home recently. They watched all kinds of bloody movies and TV series, and they were so engrossed in watching them that An An also watched them a lot.

The key point is that the TV dramas at that time were too straightforward, which caused cognitive deviation in the child.

The kid thinks that when a man and a woman meet, something must happen. If there is another man, the previous one must be replaced and the new one must take over.

Yesterday, Li Qiumo came to see Zhong Miao, and the child thought he was going to have a new father.

Pei Ze exploded instantly, and the brat was almost mad to death. He kept telling him about the correct values ​​and normal relationships between men and women, and told him not to let the TV series lead him astray.

What the hell are these mother-in-law and daughter-in-law watching all day long? Can they be serious?

After quickly washing An An, Pei Ze took the child back to the office. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were chatting there after touring the factory.

"Mom, wife, can you two tell me what TV you've been watching lately?"

"What's wrong?" Zhong Miao asked.

"Ask your son, Pei Ming'an, what you just said to me. Tell your mother and grandmother again."

Pei Ze was extremely angry, but he also controlled his temper. This brat wanted to change his father for no reason.

"An An, tell grandma what's wrong?"

An An was a little scared. His father was really angry this time. He wiped his tears tremblingly and repeated what he said.

The child's voice was childish with a hint of crying, but his words gradually shattered the three views of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

"An An, give me a hug, don't cry. This time it's not An An's fault, it's Mom's fault."

Zhong Miao reacted quickly, picked up the shattered three views on the ground, immediately picked up the child and coaxed him, calling herself a mother for the first time.

She didn't know why, she just said it.

An An is a lovely child. Even though he is a little naughty sometimes, he is a sensible little guy and very heartwarming.

Perhaps it was because of the unconscious interaction between them that every time An An called "Mom", Zhong Miao was able to put herself more and more into the role of a mother.

She spoke softly, explaining the truth to An An bit by bit, that a person will meet many people in his life, both men and women, but he can only have one partner or spouse.

"Mom, I understand. My dad is my dad, and Uncle Li is Uncle Li."

"Yes, you see, there are many aunts in Dad's factory, but they are not your mother."

"Yeah." An An lay in Zhong Miao's arms, imitating Zhong Miao's repeated words.

"Okay, An An, next time you have an idea, tell me and we'll discuss it together. If you don't understand, just ask. Otherwise, I won't know what you're thinking."

She was careless and didn't understand the difference between children of that era and modern children. An An had never watched TV before, so it was inevitable that she would be led astray.

Seeing his wife like this, Pei Ze's anger subsided, and he was left with jealousy. He was not at ease with Zhong Miao, but he could not ask Zhong Miao to take care of his emotions just because he felt insecure.

Li Qiumo wasn't the only one in the school. There were also several other classmates, and one or two female classmates. He felt a little better, but he didn't expect that today he would be stabbed in the back by his own son. He was really hurt.

He knew Zhong Miao's character. His wife was not someone who could be deceived. Even if she changed her mind, she would tell him frankly. She was too lazy to hide it.

He trusted Zhong Miao, but his wife became more and more dazzling, the people she came into contact with became more and more outstanding, and he became busier and busier. Temptations were everywhere.

He knew that they both needed to adapt to each other and get used to the changes in their environment.

He had to support her studies and support her in making some friends in the same circle. Zhong Miao was not his appendage, so he had to digest these emotions slowly by himself.

At night, the electric fan was humming. The weather had been hot recently and Pei Ze had a high temperature. When Zhong Miao went to bed at night, she wished she could stay away from him.

"Wife, you have changed."

Zhong Miao stayed away from him, and Pei Ze felt uncomfortable.

"Ah?" Zhong Miao didn't understand. What had changed? Why couldn't she understand?

"You don't even hug me anymore. You'd rather hug the quilt than hug me."

"Pfft, hahaha, are you angry?" Zhong Miao understood. Pei Ze had just experienced a restructuring of his worldview today and hadn't recovered yet. He was unhappy.

"Not angry."

"Who made you so hot? You'll be sweating all over if you hug me for a while."

"What should we do then?"

Zhong Miao's mind raced, and she thought of the male protagonist in the melodramatic TV series. She shuddered, "Don't try that cold shower trick on me. I can't stand such a tough behavior. Let's just hold hands and sleep."

"Hehe, do I look stupid to you?"

Thinking of the melodramatic TV series that Zhong Miao told him about today, Pei Ze felt embarrassed. How could that thing be on TV?

"That's good. I'll just watch it for fun. If you act like that, I'll definitely suspect you took the wrong medicine."

"Well, watch less TV dramas in the future." Pei Ze held Zhong Miao's hand.

"I don't usually watch it, but my mother-in-law is here, and we don't have anything to do, so we just spend some time together."

"It's nothing, really. If you want to watch it, go ahead. An An will be exposed to some things sooner or later. When he goes to school, other children will have seen it too. At most, I can teach him more."

"Okay, why are you so nice?"

Pei Ze is nothing like what is written in the book. When dealing with his family, he is very emotionally stable and will be reasonable even when he is angry.

He is also very patient with his children. Although he may fool them occasionally, the father-son relationship is harmonious and relaxed.

Pei Ze is quite understanding of her temper and can tell the difference between inside and outside.

The rumors in the village that he was a domestic abuser were really outrageous.

"I'm your man, it's normal for me to treat you well. Hey, wife, I'll boil some water for you to take a bath later."

Pei Ze pressed himself against her, leaving Zhong Miao speechless. "I just happened to be in love with you, and you couldn't help yourself? Can't we keep some distance in this hot weather?"

Zhong Miao’s mind was full of that line: Don’t come over here!

Qingzhou City TV Station, today is the day to interview Pei Ze. Liang Nuo prepared the interview script early in the morning and can start when the time comes.

This interview program is recorded every Tuesday and will be broadcast after the 7:30 pm news program on Sunday.

Liang Nuo held the interview manuscript, and the image of Pei Ze emerged in his mind.

She usually interviewed prominent figures, but none of them was as young, handsome, and successful as Pei Ze.

It's helpless, she's already married.

She is already 25 years old, comes from a wealthy family, has high standards, and her work and abilities far exceed those of girls from ordinary families. Of course, she is more picky.

I don't know what she was thinking, but she added a few more questions to the interview script.

Pei Ze arrived at the appointed time. Liang Nuo handed him the interview manuscript and said, "Take a look at it first. These are the contents of the interview. Don't be nervous during the recording. You can take a break if you feel tired."

Liang Nuo looked at Pei Ze. He was dressed completely differently from last time. He was wearing a formal suit and tie.

He was tall and straight, a head and a half taller than Liang Nuo. Only then did Liang Nuo feel that he was a mature man, and a successful mature man at that.

Liang Nuo had contacted Pei Ze before, wanting to make an appointment to discuss the content of the interview with him, but was rejected by Pei Ze, who only said that he could just take a quick look at it when the time comes.

She was quite surprised at the time. This man was really arrogant and full of vigor. Liang Nuo thought at the time that if Pei Ze made a mistake during the interview, she would have to help save the situation.

Now it seems that he really didn't take this interview program seriously. Pei Ze's calmness really impressed her.

"Okay." Pei Ze took the manuscript and glanced at it briefly.

Seeing that his face looked normal, Liang Nuo told him a few things to pay attention to before filming.

In the studio, the two sat opposite each other on the sofas on either side, with a small round coffee table between them.

At the director's call to start, the two sat upright. Liang Nuo first greeted the audience and introduced Pei Ze's identity. The two pretended to greet each other.

"Mr. Pei, when did you start entering the furniture market?"

"Four years ago, shortly after I graduated from college."